Contract: L-3 Vertex, $51.8M

L-3 Communications Systems Field Support, Vertex Aerospace, LLC, Madison, Miss., is being awarded a $51,763,774 modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity requirements contract (N00019-11-D-0010) to exercise an option for aircraft maintenance and logistical life cycle support for 53 C-12 aircraft. Work will be performed in Winnepeg, Canada (34 percent); San Angelo, Texas (34 percent); Corpus Christi, Texas (12 percent); and various locations within and outside of the continental United States (20 percent) work is expected to be completed in September 2015. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activities. (Source: DoD, 09/26/14)

CMSAF visits Columbus base

COLUMBUS AFB, Miss. – Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James Cody met with airmen and families of Columbus Air Force Base on Sept. 24-25 to discuss key AF and Team BLAZE issues, and local success stories. CMSAF Cody spoke with a Team BLAZE Focus Group, recently assembled to discuss improving quality of life issues CAFB families and civilian employees. (Source: 14th Flying Training Wing 09/25/14)

GT employment improving

The Golden Triangle region and Mississippi’s unemployment rates remain well above the national average (6.3%). New figures show signs that people living in the Golden Triangle area are finding jobs. Over the past eight months, Lowndes County's unemployment rate has been lower compared to 2013. In August, it was down 1% from 2013 to 8.7%. Clay County still remains the highest in the state but the August rate was down 3% to 15.7%. Oktibbeha County improved 1.1% to a rate of 7.7%. Noxubee County improved seven-tenths of a percent to 14.5 percent last month. (Source: Columbus Dispatch 09/25/14) Golden Triangle Note: Lowndes County has borrowed $14 million this year to purchase 2,500 acres of land for future development at the new Golden Triangle Regional Global Industrial Aerospace Park. "I think you're going to see some advanced automotive and aerospace component manufacturers" locate in the park, LINK CEO Joe Max Higgins said, "and a large number of jobs” in the aerospace, helicopter and steel industries “for a long time.” (Source: Columbus Dispatch 06/28/14)

AHI awards air med industry

NASHVILLE - Airbus Helicopters Inc. (AHI) honored air medical transport industry leaders here Sept. 23 at the Air Medical Transport Conference for efforts in improving safety and quality of service. The Jim Charlson Aviation Safety Award was given to PHI Air Medical President David Motzkin. Tom Allenstein, CEO of MedFlight of Ohio, was presented with the prestigious Program of the Year award. That award is given annually to an EMS program that has demonstrated superior levels of safety consciousness, patient care, quality leadership and community and industry service. (Source: Airbus Helicopters Inc. 09/23/14) Central Mississippi Note: AHI is the U.S. affiliate of Airbus Helicopters, the largest helicopter manufacturer in the world, and a subsidiary of the Airbus Group. AHI has a large production facility located in Columbus, Miss.

Contract: L-3 Vertex, $14M

L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Miss., is being awarded a $13,967,277 firm-fixed-price, cost-reimbursement, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for organizational, selected intermediate, and limited depot level maintenance and logistics support services for the F/A-18A/B/C/D/E/F, EA-18G, MH-60S, F-16A/B, and E-2C aircraft, in support of the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center. Work will be performed in Naval Air Station Fallon, Nev., and is expected to be completed in September 2015. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $13,967,277 will be obligated at time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the current year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to FAR 6.302-1. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00019-14-D-0037). (Source: DoD, 09/24/14)

AHI presents Vision award

NASHVILLE - Airbus Helicopters Inc. presented its 2014 Vision Zero Award for safety in the air medical industry to Protean LLC for development of the LZControl.com data base , a free flight safety service for the air medical industry. AHI’s Air Medical division sales manager Jennifer Hardcastle presented the award to Protean CEO John Cornett during the Air Medical Transport Conference annual community awards banquet here Sept. 22. Protean’s LXControl offers web-based software to fire and police departments, emergency medical service providers and hospitals. (Source: Airbus Helicopters Inc. 09/23/14) Central Mississippi Note: AHI has a large manufacturing unit in Columbus, Miss.

Forest part of launcher pact

Raytheon Electronic Warfare Systems of Goleta, Calif. is being awarded a $9,414,000 firm-fixed-price delivery order against a previously issued Basic Ordering Agreement (N00019-10-G-0006) for the procurement of 226 ALE-50 Bravo T3F launchers for U.S. Navy F/A-18 E/F aircraft. Work will be performed in Forest, Miss. (70 percent), and Goleta (30). Work is expected to be completed in October 2017. FY 2013 Navy aircraft procurement funds in the amount of $9,414,000 are being obligated on this award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DOD 09/23/14)

Forest earns partial radar pact

Raytheon of El Segundo, Calif., is being awarded a $40,950,000 firm-fixed-price delivery order against a previously issued Basic Ordering Agreement (N00019-10-G-0006) for the procurement of 15 AN/APG-79 Active Electronically Scanned Array Radar Systems in support of the F/A-18 E/F aircraft. Work will be performed in Forest, Miss. (50 percent); Andover, Mass. (30); and El Segundo (20). It is expected to be completed in November 2016. FY 2012 and 2014 Navy aircraft procurement funds of $40,950,000 are being obligated on this award - $10,920,000 of which will expire Sept. 30, 2014. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DOD 09/23/14)

AHI delivers new helo

NASHVILLE – Airbus Helicopters Inc. delivered a new AS365 twin-engine helicopter to CareFlight Air & Mobile Services of Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio, Sept. 22. The AS365 N3+ was built at AHI’s manufacturing plant in Columbus, Miss. The helicopter was completed with an air medical transport equipment package by Metro Aviation of Shreveport, La. (Source: Airbus Helicopters Inc. 09/22/14)

AHI to feature med helos in TN

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – Airbus Helicopters Inc. will feature a pair of its medical transport helicopters at the Air Medical Transport Conference (AMTC) on Sept. 22-24 in Nashville, Tenn. It’s newly in-service ShandsCair Flight Program’s EC155 B1 and Vanderbilt University’s LifeFlight EC130 B4 will be on display. Airbus Helicopters is “honored that so many outstanding hospitals and other air medical transport service and emergency medical services providers continue to select (AH) aircraft for their vital, life-saving missions,” said CEO Marc Paganini. AHI is the U.S. affiliate of Airbus Helicopters, the largest helicopter manufacturer in the world, and a subsidiary of the Airbus Group. (Source: AHI 09/19/14) Central Mississippi Note: AHI’s has a manufacturing and production facility in Columbus, Miss.

Contract: L-3 Vertex, $12M

L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Miss., is being awarded an $11,961,245 modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery requirements contract (N00019-12-D-0016) to exercise an option for maintenance, repair, and logistics support for the chief of Naval Air Training Aircraft's intermediate maintenance departments located at the Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., and Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas. Support to be provided includes labor, equipment, tools, services, and direct and indirect material. Work will be performed at Naval Air Station Pensacola (60 percent), and Naval Air Station Corpus Christi (40 percent), and is expected to be completed in September 2015. No funds are being obligated at time of award; funds will be obligated against individual task orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/18/14)

L-3 averts Nevada strike

A Fallon, Nevada, aircraft support services union ratified a new 5-year contract proposal Sept. 12 with L-3 Vertex Aerospace management, a government contractor that provides maintenance work for Navy squadrons at Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center at Fallon. IUE/CWA Local 89119’s membership averted a potential strike that could have affected Navy aviation maintenance operations across the entire Navy, according to local union President James Martens. Negotiations had been going on since Aug. 11. (Source: Nevada Appeal 09/16/14) Central Mississippi Note: L-3 Vertex maintains corporate offices in Madison, Miss., and provides aviation and aerospace technical services, primarily for government customers.

Ex-commanders return to CAFB

COLUMBUS AFB, Miss. - Seven former wing commanders of the 14th Flying Training Wing and two former vice commanders reunited at Columbus Air Force Base on Sept. 4-6 to help celebrate the historic once-in-a-century graduation of Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training (SUPT) Class 14-14. (Source: Columbus AFB 09/12/14)

SE trade delegation heads to Japan

JACKSON, Miss. - Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant will join a southeastern-states trade team to the 37th annual meeting of the Southeast U.S./Japan and the Japan-U.S. Southeast Associations (SEUS-Japan) in Tokyo. The team departs Sept. 14. William Yates III, CEO of Mississippi-headquartered Yates Construction, is co-chairman of the meeting and will lead the 27-member state delegation which will include representatives of three state universities and the Port of Gulfport. State figures show Japan is the biggest foreign investor in Mississippi. (Source: The Associated Press 09/11/14)
Central Mississippi/Gulf Coast Notes: Pensacola, Fla.-based Whitesell-Green and Yates Construction worked on an $8 million engine maintenance and storage facility used to inspect, repair, maintain and store aircraft engines, propellers and related materials to support the Air Force Special Operations Forces' aircraft at Hurlburt Field, Fla. Next year's SEUS-Japan conference of the 7-state group will be in Alabama.

GC states in Biz Top 10

Three Gulf Coast states were among the ‘Top 10 For Doing Business’ with in 2014. Alabama ranked No. 4 and was followed by Louisiana (6) and Mississippi (10), according to Area Development Online’s fifth annual survey of consultants in three overall categories and 18 subcategories. In the big picture, Georgia unseated Texas for the top spot. The State of Alabama was given kudos for its long-term economic development plan known as Accelerate Alabama; United Launch Alliance’s factory in Decatur that turns out up to $1 billion in rockets to carry an array of satellites into space; and Airbus’ A320 passenger jet production facility at Mobile. Louisiana’s reputation is growing as one of the most accommodating state governments under Gov. Bobby Jindal. Mississippi’s rising status has been reflected in the areas of automotive and aerospace with Eurocopter expanding its helicopter assembly and test-site operations in Columbus, Miss. (Source: Area Development Online 09/14)

Airbus pushing new A400M

WASHINGTON - The president of Airbus Americas Inc. says the company is focusing on securing additional short-term orders for its Mississippi-built UH-72 helicopters to the U.S. Army. But the “next big project” will be focused on marketing its A400M military transport plane to the U.S. Air Force, Barry Eccleston told participants at the Reuters Aerospace and Defense Summit. Airbus plans a major marketing drive for the A400M in the United States after it was introduced in France, Britain, Turkey and Germany. (Source: Reuters 09/11/14) Central Mississippi Note: Airbus Helicopters of Columbus, Miss., builds UH-72 Lakota light utility helicopters for the Army.

L-3 earns flight ops contract

L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace of Madison, Miss., has been awarded a $35,215,409 firm-fixed-price contract for acquisition of flight operations support services. Work will be performed at Vance AFB, Okla., with an expected completion date of Sept. 30, 2015. Fiscal 2015 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $35,215,409 will be obligated when funds become available. This contract was a competitive source acquisition, and four offers were received. The Air Force Installation Contracting Agency, 338th Specialized Contracting Squadron, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA3002-14-C-0013). (Source: DOD 09/11/14)

Top AF officer visits CAFB

COLUMBUS AFB, Miss. – The Air Force’s highest ranking uniformed officer was onboard Columbus AFB to at the base’s Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training Class 14-14's graduation Sept. 5 - one event of CAFB's ‘Heritage to Horizons’ week celebrating the base's history. Gen. Mark A. Welsh also took part in a base-sponsored community reception; and emphasized to airmen the importance of community outreach and involvement. "You won't find many people who have been stationed at Columbus AFB who don't rave about it," the Chief of Staff of the Air Force said. Welsh's son earned his silver wings at CAFB – the last time he visited the base. (Source: Columbus AFB, 09/06/14)

SAE offers flights to Jackson

DESTIN, Fla. - Southern Airways Express plans to shift its service at Destin Airport from seasonal to year-round. This fall, Southern Airways Express will provide daily service from Destin to Memphis, Tenn., Atlanta and Jackson, Miss., and weekend service to Oxford, Miss. The Memphis, Tenn.-based airline launched its first flight in June 2013 and has been growing, recently adding the DeKalb-Peachtree Airport in Atlanta to its list of destinations. The company operates a fleet of three, 10-seat Cessna Caravans. (Source: News Herald, 09/04/14) Central Mississippi Note: In the Memphis area, the airline will use the Olive Branch (Miss.) Airport rather than Memphis International Airport.

Stark hires new VP

COLUMBUS, Miss. - Stark Aerospace announced the hiring of Thomas Curran as Senior Vice President of Business Development & Marketing. Curran has more than 30 years’ experience in high-tech business development, engineering, and management. He’s worked with General Dynamics, BAE Systems and Israel’s Elbit Systems’ Aerospace Division. In 1978, Curran joined the US Navy and studied Electronics, Aerodynamics, Computer Science, and Pneumatic and Hydraulic systems. He joined GD’s engineering group in 1982. A year later, GD posted him in Israel where he worked with the Israeli Air Force in air combat training systems. (Source: Stark Aerospace, 09/04/14 Golden Triangle Note: Stark Aerospace develops, produces and supports unmanned aerial systems. Additionally, SA divisions include Sensors, Production Services, Engineering and Field Service. Stark produced ArrowLite, its first completely organic UAS. Its main facility is located at the Golden Triangle Regional Airport in Columbus, Miss. Stark Aerospace is a wholly owned subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries.

CAFB instructor dies in crash

An Air Force T-38 Talon instructor pilot assigned to the Columbus (Miss.) Air Force Base died in a non-military plane crash in Texas this past weekend. Major Richard "Tracer" Schafer III, 35, died Sunday night after his private plane crashed near Abilene, Texas, according to CAFB officials. Schafer's brother, Matthew of Abilene, also died in the crash. Matthew's wife and child were also on board the aircraft and survived. Maj. Schafer was an Air Force Academy graduate and was assigned to CAFB’s 49th Fighter Training Squadron. The cause of the crash is under investigation by the NTSB. (Source: Columbus Dispatch, 09/02/14)

Seaport: Memphis delay

TUPELO, Miss. – The Portland, Ore.-based SeaPort Airlines had hoped to begin service from Tupelo by providing flights to Memphis and Nashville, but increased costs in Memphis has put a damper on those plans for now. Last week, the U.S. Department of Transportation tapped the airline to begin service in Tupelo. SeaPort may perhaps begin service in October from Silver Airways, which suffered reliability issues. But SeaPort has indicated that 18 weekly flights to Nashville and 12 weekly flights to Memphis - as proposed in its bid – from Tupelo may be phased in, starting with a Nashville-only link. (Source: Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, 08/31/14)